Fresh xenophobic tensions in South Africa have driven hundreds of Nigerians to seek help at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, as renewed anti-immigrant protests spread across major cities and the Federal Government intensified efforts to evacuate citizens willing to return home.
The Federal Government assured Nigerians still living in South Africa that their safety remains a priority, even as fears grew over the protests and attacks on foreign nationals.
On Tuesday, another 269 Nigerians arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard an Air Peace evacuation flight from Johannesburg, marking the latest phase of the government’s voluntary repatriation programme.
The development followed reports that Nigerian businessman ‘Big Joe’ was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga Province, although South African police are yet to confirm the motive.
Thousands of South Africans marched in several cities, demanding the deportation of undocumented migrants after anti-migrant groups issued a June 30 deadline for foreigners without legal documents to leave the country.
Although police described the demonstrations as largely peaceful, isolated incidents of looting, vandalism and assaults were recorded in Johannesburg, Soweto, Germiston and KwaZulu-Natal.
Amid the unrest, many foreign nationals reportedly abandoned their homes for fear of attacks, while police said about 25,000 migrants had already been repatriated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the evacuation exercise remains ongoing and promised additional flights to bring home Nigerians who voluntarily registered to return.
Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, explained that many Nigerians who crowded the embassy ignored official instructions and responded to community announcements instead, resulting in overcrowding outside the mission.
He said the embassy had adopted a phased evacuation process to ensure orderly departures and disclosed that hundreds of Nigerians were still awaiting evacuation.
Ajayi also confirmed that the Nigerian mission was working with South African authorities to investigate the recent killing of a Nigerian businessman and other unresolved cases involving Nigerian nationals.
President of the Nigerian Union South Africa, Smart Nwobi, urged Nigerians to remain indoors while security agencies monitored the protests, adding that the union and the Nigerian High Commission continued to provide food, shelter and humanitarian assistance to stranded citizens.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) called on the Federal Government to strengthen diplomatic engagement with South Africa, speed up evacuation flights and address delays in passport renewals and immigration documentation affecting many Nigerians.
Retired Nigerian ambassadors also urged Abuja to sustain diplomatic pressure on South Africa, improve support for returnees and seek long-term solutions through the African Union.
The National Association of University Students (NAUS) condemned the attacks and gave the South African government one week to take decisive action or face nationwide protests and other lawful demonstrations targeting South African interests in Nigeria.
